The present invention relates to systems and processes for mixing chemicals and, more particularly, to a system and process for mixing a chemical in a container with a liquid.
Many chemicals are packaged in containers such as buckets. These chemicals come in various forms, particularly dry and liquid forms. Dry chemicals can assume the form of a dry powder, granules, briquettes, tablets, flakes, etc. However, handling and managing dry-form chemicals can be problematic. One of the problems that arises in handling and mixing dry-form chemicals is that it is difficult in some cases to manage and confine the chemical as it is being transferred from the container to a mixer or mixing tank, for example. Often this transfer and mixing may occur in an outside environment where there is wind and other undesirable weather elements. In the case of a dry-form chemical, especially those chemicals that are presented in a dry powder form, one finds that in transferring the chemical from the container to a mixing tank, for example, that much of the chemical ends up being deposited in the environment around the container and the mixing tank.
It is common practice to utilize chemicals such as potassium permanganate in wastewater and potable water treatment processes. Potassium permanganate is normally produced in a dry powder form and containerized in a container such as a 5-gallon bucket. Periodically, personnel at the water or wastewater treatment facility will mix the dry potassium permanganate powder with a liquid in a tank. In transferring the dry powder to the tank, it is not uncommon for the fine granules of powder to end up outside both the container and the mixing tank. Often this is in the form of a fine dust. In any event, the end result is that the potassium permanganate ends up on the worker""s clothes and on system elements outside the mixing tank and the container and, in the final analysis, is simply downright messy.
Therefore, there is, and continues to be, a need for a system and process for mixing chemicals, especially chemicals that come in a dry powder form, that avoids the aforementioned problems.
The present invention entails a system and process for mixing a chemical within a container with a liquid by directing a liquid or mixture into the container itself and mixing the liquid or mixture with the chemical within the confines of the container and then directing the resulting mixture from the container to a holding tank.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the chemical may be held within a holding area as opposed to being held within a conventional container. Here the present invention entails directing a liquid into the holding area where the chemical is held and effectively removing the chemical as a result of the liquid or mixture coming into contact with the chemical within the holding area.
More particularly, the present invention entails a probe that is extended into the container containing the chemical. Liquid under pressure is directed to, through, and out the probe. As the liquid is expelled from the probe, under pressure, the liquid causes a portion of the chemical contained within the container to be directed from the container into a holding tank. In one embodiment, the probe is anchored above an opening within the tank and there is provided a supporting structure for holding the container over the probe after the probe has punctured an opening in the container. There the resulting mixture is allowed to gravitate through the opening formed by the puncture into the underlying tank. In another embodiment, the probe is directed into a holding area where the chemical is held or allowed to accumulate. Here the probe extends into the holding area where the chemical is held and a liquid or mixture is expelled from the probe and causes the surrounding chemical to be removed from the holding area. Again, typically the chemical is allowed to gravitate into a mixing tank where the chemical is mixed with a liquid or mixture within the mixing tank.
In one embodiment, the system is provided with a recirculating and mixing pump. In particular, the pump is operative to circulate the mixture from the tank to and through the probe. To control the concentration of the mixture within the tank within a pre-selected range, a concentration controller is provided and is operatively coupled to the recirculation and mixing pump. Once the measured concentration of the mixture falls below a pre-selected range, the concentration controller is operative to actuate the pump, causing the pump to pull portions of the mixture from the tank and direct the same through the probe and into the container, mixing with the chemical therein, which results in the mixture formed in the container being directed back to the tank. This has the effect of increasing the concentration of the mixture within the tank.
The probe which is inserted into the container includes an inlet and, in one embodiment, a series of outlet or jet ports. These outlet ports are arranged about the probe to efficiently direct a liquid or mixture under pressure into the surrounding chemical. In one particular embodiment, the probe includes at least one vertical cavity formed in the probe with an outlet port disposed about an upper end portion thereof and directed generally downwardly. This outlet port tends to direct a jet of liquid downwardly toward the opening formed within the container and effectively keeps that general area open and unclogged such that the resulting mixture can freely gravitate from the container through the opening formed therein.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and obvious from a study of the following description and the accompanying drawings which are merely illustrative of such invention.